Technical | Data Import and Export Utility
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      Changing a Batch of Inventory Items from a Text File

      Changing a Batch of Inventory Items from a Text File

      The File > Utilities > Text Import/Export Mappings utility can be used to update information within a list of existing inventory items such as the general cost, bar codes settings, stock level settings, base price, weights, manufacturing settings, etc. This information can be copied from a text file such as an MS Excel file to multiple inventory items in one process. This utility can be used to import the Description 1 and Description 2 information but cannot import Description 3. Specific price level pricing, individual purchase vendor settings, and unit-of-measure settings cannot be imported using this standard utility.

      The Text Import/Export Mappings utility is not intended to be used to create new inventory items.

      Review the Product Catalog > Changing Inventory Items section within the Inventory documentation for a complete list of utilities available to change or add a batch of inventory items.

      Complete the following steps to update inventory item information using the Text Import/Export Mappings utility:

      1. Launch the Text Import/Export Mappings utility by selecting File > Utilities > Text Import/Export Mappings from the main EBMS menu to open the following dialog:

      2. Select the Inventory Table option from the list and click Properties to open the following dialog:

      3. Select the Text File you wish to import into the EBMS Inventory file by selecting the Browse button.

      4. Associate the Text File columns with the EBMS Inventory fields by selecting the corresponding Table Field. The Table Field list is limited to the available fields within the inventory file. Note that the Text Import/Export Mappings utility is limited to specific fields. Review the Multi-Vendor Catalog section within the Inventory documentation for a more flexible import utility.

      5. Complete the other settings within this dialog. Review Configuring the Import/Export Mappings section for more details on the import/export settings.

      6. Test the import format by using preview tools. Review the Testing or Previewing a Data Import section for instructions on using these tools.

      7. Launch the import process by clicking the Import (Update) button. This process will update the inventory records based on the properties set for the selected Import/Export Mappings record. This process can also be automated by scheduling the import using the MS Windows scheduler. Review the Importing Text Files into EMBS section for details on scheduling an import process.

      Review the Importing Text Files into EBMS section for more details on the import/export settings.